Everybody with a platform is already predicting a Super Bowl win for the Los Angeles Rams after their Week 1 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, but if football history tells us anything, it’s that those predictions are almost always dead wrong. Seriously, think about it: the 2025 Ravens, Bills, and Eagles were supposed to be juggernauts, destined to cruise. That didn’t happen. The 2024 Niners were slated for a deep playoff run, and while they did, they didn’t win it all. And who could forget the epic postseason from the preseason champion Eagles in 2023? Yeah, that one fizzled too. Acting like the red carpet will be rolled out for the Rams, especially against a familiar foe in Week 1, just ignores how this league actually works.
Forget The Preseason Hype, This Is Week 1 Bloodsport
We’re talking about a Week 1 showdown between two teams, the 49ers and the Rams, who’ve had Super Bowl aspirations for five seasons straight. That’s a serious track record of high expectations! Their 2026 versions could genuinely be the best they’ve put on the field this entire decade, making this opener absolutely massive. Think about that for a second. The stakes are through the roof right from the jump. Adding to the fire? Raheem Morris, who was the Rams’ defensive coordinator from 2021-23, is now involved in the mix, bringing a whole new level of familiarity to this already intense rivalry. This isn’t just any game; it’s a battle where both sides know each other inside and out, and that almost always leads to some explosive, must-watch football.
The Playbook That Made Stafford Stumble
Want to know how to frustrate Matthew Stafford and make him look human? Just look back at what Raheem Morris’s (Jeff Ulbrich’s) Falcons defense did to him in Week 17 last year. Stafford was playing one of his worst games of the season, plain and simple. He posted his third-lowest EPA per dropback, his third-lowest completion percentage, and his *worst* QB rating of the season by a full 18 percentage points. Ouch. He got sacked three times, even though the Falcons weren’t blitzing like crazy at all. In fact, it was the third-lowest blitz rate he saw all season! The strategy was brilliant and brutal: Atlanta went heavy upfront, played it safe in the back end, and dared Stafford to either launch deep into double coverage or settle for constant checkdowns.
Stafford’s a gunslinger, we all know that. He takes risks, and sometimes that bites him hard. In that game against the Falcons, three of his interceptions came from *clean pockets*! That’s not just bad luck; that’s Stafford being Stafford, sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. Sure, the Rams dropped a couple of first downs, but you can’t ignore those critical picks. Atlanta didn’t just force three turnovers; they also shut down the Rams on third down, holding them to a dismal 6-for-17. The 49ers will absolutely have their chances to make Stafford pay with those risky throws. They just gotta make the catches when the ball is up for grabs. This Week 1 game isn’t just about grabbing an early win; it’s about setting the tone for their entire season in a division that’s always a dogfight. Get ready, because this is going to be a brutal, familiar opener that sets the stage for everything that comes next.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Niners Nation.
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